You Attempt To Keep Your Use Secret
This actually tends to be a sign for others in your family or circle of friends, rather than one you may notice yourself. The Mayo Clinic lists being secretive about your space, activities and/or relationships as a problematic signal that may indicate some kind of addiction problem; it’s quite common for an addict to sense that their usage is in some way shameful or excessive and attempt to keep it private or away from judgement or interference.
Chocolate And Other Sweets
Sometimes you have to have it. And you may not be able to stop. Don’t feel bad — foods high in carbs, fats, and sugar can affect your brain just like drugs do. Jonesing for an occasional milkshake doesnât mean you’re hooked. But your sweet tooth can get out of control and lead to other health problems.
Next Steps Towards Recovery
Its important to have quick access to treatment. If you or someone you know has an addiction, call 1-800-622-4357 for free and confidential treatment referral and information from SAMHSA. You can also seek help from your doctor, local treatment center, or support group.
Addictions often affect many areas of a persons life. The most effective treatments are comprehensive. They often have several steps that vary from person to person. These steps can include detoxification, behavioral counseling, and long-term follow-up.
Here are some ways you can support a friend or family members recovery process:
- Learn more about the substance or behavior dependency and the treatment.
- Stay involved, like offering to go to meetings with them.
- Provide a sober and trigger-free setting.
- Speak up and express concern when there is a relapse.
While you can treat addiction, in most cases, someone with addiction must want to change for recovery to be successful.
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You Feel You Need It To Deal With Your Problems
Alongside what Psychology Today calls the “craving or compulsion” to keep doing an addictive thing, there is often another motivator: the belief in its necessity to your functioning. The most common reason that addicts refuse to seek treatment, according to a study of 2.8 million drug users, is that they’re “not ready to stop using,” at a whopping 38.8 percent. Life without the addiction seems terrifying and impossible; it has become one of the only reliable ways to deal with your issues and life in general, and you aren’t prepared to try to experience the world without it.
You Pass Up Social Situations Where You Can’t Partake
Addicts often find that they are less interested in activities and pastimes that they once loved, purely because they don’t involve the addiction. Alongside this shift in priorities, addicts also start to do something Medical News Today calls “social and recreational sacrifices,” where they actively opt out of social situations where they won’t have the chance to use. Addicts may also find that their attention to their need means they pay less attention to basic needs, like food and hygiene.
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Helping A Friend With Addiction
If you’re worried about a friend who has an addiction, you can;use these tips to help him or her. For example, let your friend know that you are available to talk or offer your support. If you notice a friend backsliding, talk about it openly and ask what you can do to help.
If your friend is going back to drugs or drinking and won’t accept your help, don’t be afraid to talk to a nonthreatening, understanding adult, like your parent or school counselor. It may seem like you’re ratting your friend out, but it’s the best support you can offer.
Above all, offer a friend who’s battling an addiction lots of encouragement and praise. It may seem corny, but hearing that you care is just the kind of motivation your friend needs.
What Makes Alcohol Addictive
Cami Renzoni is a creative writer and editor for The Recovery Village. As an advocate for behavioral health, Cami is certified in… read more
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Most of us are aware of the dangers of alcohol and how addictive it can be. Rarely, however, do we ask why. To answer the question, what makes alcohol so addictive, we must first answer how people become addicted in the first place.
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You Keep Doing It Even Though There Are Clear Negative Consequences
Pursuing an addiction often means that normal warning signs, like detrimental consequences for other aspects of your life, don’t have the impact they would on more regulated behavior. The addicted brain can ignore or justify the severe problems an addiction is causing, in favor of continuing the addiction. If you’re still getting your fix of a substance even though you’re seeing it create clear issues elsewhere , you may have a problem.
Can Sex Addiction Be Treated
Yes, sex addiction can be treated. You will typically want to speak with a mental health professional, like a psychologist or licensed social worker. They will help you address some of the underlying factors that are maintaining your sex or porn addiction, and teach you to cope with your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a healthy way.
Some treatment options include:
- Individual therapy
- 30-60 minute sessions with a certified mental health professional, focused on your sexually compulsive behaviors and any co-occurring disorders.
To find an addiction treatment center or to find out more information about the process of treating sex and/or porn addiction, call .
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Are All Addictions The Same
Is addiction to shopping or texting the same as being hooked on drugs or alcohol? We know these things can affect your brain in many of the same ways. But experts don’t yet agree about how far those similarities go. If you feel you have a habit that’s out of control, talk to your doctor or a therapist.
When Does Drug Use Become An Addiction
John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. He is the medical director at Alcohol Recovery Medicine.;For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the;National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism;of the National Institutes of Health .
Drug addiction is a complex and chronic brain disease. People who have a drug addiction experience compulsive, sometimes uncontrollable, craving for their drug of choice. Typically, they will continue to seek and use drugs in spite of experiencing extremely negative consequences as a result of using.
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Other Types Of Addiction: Addictive Activities
Some activities can be as addictive as drugs and alcohol because they also trigger the release of endorphins, adrenaline, or other powerful chemicals within the brain. These pursuits meet the criteria of addiction when they are engaged in obsessively without regard for negative life consequences.
Certain mental health disorders are often at the root of these addictive behaviors which may require a recovery program to stop their destructive cycle. Some examples of addictions to non-substances include:
- Gambling
- Internet Gaming or Virtual Reality
- Compulsive Lying
What Is A Sex Addict
Sex addiction is defined as a lack of control over sexual thoughts, urges, and impulses. While sexual impulses are natural, sex addiction only refers to behaviors that are done in excess and significantly impact oneâs life in a negative way.
Although sex addiction isnât listed as a diagnosable condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , research indicates that excess sexual behavior can develop, like a chemical addiction.
A person with sex addiction may have a compulsive need to be sexually stimulated. This desire often interferes with their ability to live their daily life. Sexual addictions can come in many different forms, including addiction to:
- Sexual acts
- Masturbation or sexual fantasy
- Exhibition or voyeurism
Sex addicts may alter their activities to perform sexual acts persistently, unable to control their behavior despite any consequences.
This compulsive sexual behavior can have serious personal consequences. Like drug or alcohol addiction, sex addiction can impact physical health, mental health, personal relationships, and quality of life.
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How To Help A Person With High Addiction Risk
Various forms of behavioral therapies can help individuals struggling with these issues to learn to manage their behaviors and acquire self-regulation skills that can moderate the addictive response. In addition, for those who have already developed substance use problems, treatment programs can incorporate these therapies with other demonstrated treatments. This approach may help the person safely stop using drugs or alcohol and live a sober life as well as gain control over the various traits above.
Seeking out research-based, professional care can provide the individual with tools to understand and manage these various traits, making recovery possible.
Be Prepared To Grieve
Addiction recovery is wonderful and it will feel that way eventually, but be prepared to initially grieve the loss of your addiction. You cannot expect to make positive change and simply forget the many years you spent tied up with your drug of choice and that lifestyle. You are making the wise choice to give it up, but it is still a loss that will likely need to be emotionally and mentally processed.
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You Suffer Withdrawal If You Attempt To Stop
Withdrawal is most well-known when it comes to substance abuse. It’s essentially your system becoming severely distressed when a drug or substance under heavy usage is taken away abruptly, causing it to recalibrate. The American Addiction Centers sum up the four main types of substance withdrawal: withdrawing from heroin and prescription painkillers causes two days of serious flu-like symptoms, cold turkey psychoactive drug addicts will experience seizures and anxiety for weeks, while going off cocaine causes 10 days of depression, and going off alcohol causes the famous “tremors,” which can last for up to a month. The heaviness of withdrawal symptoms depends on the strength of your addiction, and is often deeply unpleasant.
Withdrawal from non-substance based addictions, like gambling, tend to be more emotional than physical. Psych Central highlights “restlessness and irritability” as the key signs that a gambling addict is going through withdrawal.
How Much Alcohol Is Too Much
Alcohol affects each person differently. Because of this, it can be difficult to define what “too much alcohol” is for everybody.
Health professionals provide varied guidelines when it comes to the recommended alcohol consumption. Some say a maximum of three glasses a day is enough. Others suggest the 1-2-3 . Still, others will advise to “drink moderately.”
Moderate drinking is safe for most people. However, heavy and chronic alcohol use can adversely affect your physical and mental health. Many factors affect alcohol metabolism, and the effects of alcohol vary by person. This can make it challenging to manage alcohol limitations.
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What Are Some Typical Examples Of Enabling Behavior
Usually, family members will enable a continued addiction by cleaning up after the substance abuser and their unacceptable behaviors. Some examples are:
- Making excuses for them when they are to impaired or hung over to go to work or school
- Covering for them when they neglect family obligations
- Putting up with physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual abuse
- Providing financial support paying their bills, giving them money, etc.
- Bailing them out of jail or paying their attorneys fees
- Turning a blind eye to suspicious behaviors
- Picking up the slack when they dont fulfill their responsibilities
- Hiding their behaviors from other family members
- Being overly forgiving even when there is no remorse or apology on the substance abusers part
- Dismissing their behavior as Thats just the way he is
What Makes An Addict So Impulsive
Have you ever wondered why some addiction patients act with no thought of consequences? Like they run into a friend in town and accept a sudden invitation to get high when they have a job interview? Or they take part in pathological gambling despite the well-known risks of doing so? What really makes an addict so impulsive?
As it turns out, most people who are struggling with substance abuse act on impulse. So, this means many have trouble controlling their behaviors or emotions. Impulse disorder could be a sign of an underlying problem, like a mental health issue or other personality disorders.
In this article, we will look at the things that make addicts impulsive and the treatments that can help them. But first, lets understand what an impulse disorder is.
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What Makes Someone An Alcoholic: Physical And Mental Symptoms Of Alcoholism
Alcoholism can take a severe toll on your health, both mentally and physically. This type of excessive drinking can manifest itself in many different ways, so if any of the following symptoms sound familiar to you, it is time for you to pursue alcohol rehabilitation treatment.
* Weight loss due to malnutrition
* Insomnia or oversleeping
* Unexplained nausea or sore stomach
* Redness of the face or cheeks
* Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet
* Tremors or shaking
* Increased irritability, agitation, anger and violence
* Excessive displays of emotion, such as uncontrolled crying
Science Says: What Makes Something Truly Addictive
CHICAGO Now that the worlds leading public health group says too much Minecraft can be an addiction, could overindulging in chocolate, exercise, even sex, be next?
The short answer is probably not.
The new gaming disorder classification from the World Health Organization revives a debate in the medical community about whether behaviors can cause the same kind of addictive illness as drugs.
The strictest definition of addiction refers to a disease resulting from changes in brain chemistry caused by compulsive use of drugs or alcohol. The definition includes excessive use that damages health, relationships, jobs and other parts of normal life. Brain research supports that definition, and some imaging studies have suggested that excessive gaming might affect the brain in similar ways.
Under a looser definition, addiction is considered a disease of extreme behavior. Any behavior carried to extreme that consumes you and keeps you from doing what you should be doing becomes an addiction as far as life is concerned, said Dr. Walter Ling, a UCLA psychiatrist.
In its widely used manual for diagnosing mental illness, the American Psychiatric Association calls excessive video gaming a condition but not a formal diagnosis or disease, and says more research is needed to determine if it qualifies as an addiction.
DRUGS AND THE BRAIN
WHAT ABOUT OTHER SUBSTANCES?
WHAT ABOUT BEHAVIOR?
DOES THE TERM MATTER?
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When To Contact A Doctor
Anyone using substances, even socially, should discuss them with a doctor to ensure safe use and monitor for signs or symptoms of addiction.
However, a person with addiction may not be ready or willing to seek professional medical help, regardless of the negative impacts it is having on their health and wellness.
If a person experiences a substance overdose, those around them should seek emergency medical assistance immediately. A person who has recovered from an overdose may want to seek professional help to treat their addiction.
When a person is ready and wants help with their addiction, they may wish to contact a medical professional to discuss options for treatment. These options include rehab, therapy, detox, and medication.
Medicinal advances and progress in diagnosis have helped the medical community develop various ways to manage and resolve addiction.
Some methods include:
- medical devices to treat withdrawal
- treating related psychological factors, such as depression
- ongoing care to reduce the risk of relapse
Addiction treatment is highly personalized and often requires the support of the individuals community or family.
Treatment can take a long time and may be complicated. Addiction is a chronic condition with a range of psychological and physical effects. Each substance or behavior may require different management techniques.
A person with addiction can find many organizations that may help them. A person can also call a hotline for help with their addiction.
What Is Classified As An Alcoholic
Someone who drinks frequently or has problems due to alcohol may wonder if they are an alcoholic or have a drinking problem.
Anyone who experiences concerns, troubles, or issues due to alcohol use likely has a drinking problem. However, a problem with alcohol does not necessarily make someone an alcoholic.
People with alcohol use disorders come in all shapes, sizes, genders, and backgrounds. Often, when looking at your drinking behaviors, it can be difficult to understand whether or not you classify as an alcoholic. It can be challenging to know what constitutes safe or moderate drinking or whether you have passed into more problematic or dangerous alcohol use levels.
While its difficult to define what constitutes an alcoholic objectively, some behaviors and warning signs can suggest alcohol addiction.
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